Pregnancy and epilepsy

Oceangirl09

Hi, does anybody have any experience of pregnancy and epilepsy? I'm currently on Lamictal, have been seizure free for 2 years, 8 years seizure free prior to that.I understand that lamictal is a relatively safe drug to be on during pregnancy but would still love to hear peoples experiences of being on lamictal during pregnancy. We are planning on starting a family in the near future. I'm on 5mg of folic acid daily also. I am worried about being on lamictal during pregnancy but also worried about of the risk of reoccurance of seizures which can happen during pregnancy.

Toots

I was on Lamictal as a mood stabiliser and was told under no circumstances to get pregnant while I was on it. I think your first port of call should be your neurologist/specialist and discuss pregnancy with them.

jelly&icecream

Hi OP, definitely get in contact with your GP and neurologist. I'm on a low dose of keppra for temporal love epilepsy and have a healthy toddler and another on the way. Keppra is one of the newer epilepsy drugs and less teratogenic than the likes of valproate. I don't know about your specific drug but with proper professional advice you may well be fine.

My neurologist on the public system has a specialist nurse working with him who you can ring, leave a message and she'll ring you back. She's fairly knowledgeable herself but will check with the neurologist also and call you in if your medication needs to be changed.

I'd also go to your GP and have general bloods done to make sure you're otherwise in good shape.

During your pregnancy you'll need to be a bit more closely monitored than usual, have more scans etc. It's key that you are on alert to any signs of seizure activity and have your medication adjusted up if needs be. It is possible but go into it as educated and prepared as you can be.

StellaWu

Hi folks,

I have recently been diagnosed with epilepsy. I had it as a kid and was put on Tegretol and had my last seizure when I was 10 then was weaned off it. I am now 37 and due to have my first child in July. Apparently the pregnancy hormones have caused it to return. As I was getting lots of Auras during my first trimester I rang the epilepsy.ie nurse help line. I cannot tell you how helpful it was!!

I am sure that ye are all more knowledgable that I, but I was so impressed with her clear advice and understanding. I am now under the care of the team in James's hospital and am on Zebinex to prevent the auras becoming seizures. I was not aware of so many of the impacts that epilepsy can have on pregnancy and vice versa. I would really recommend you call them. She works Holles St and with the Rotunda so is very clued in to effects as well as preparations and meds.

Zebrano

Oceangirl09 wrote: »

Hi, does anybody have any experience of pregnancy and epilepsy? I'm currently on Lamictal, have been seizure free for 2 years, 8 years seizure free prior to that.I understand that lamictal is a relatively safe drug to be on during pregnancy but would still love to hear peoples experiences of being on lamictal during pregnancy. We are planning on starting a family in the near future. I'm on 5mg of folic acid daily also. I am worried about being on lamictal during pregnancy but also worried about of the risk of reoccurance of seizures which can happen during pregnancy.

Hiya, completely understand your worries. I had a little girl 2 years ago and also on lamictal. Everything was fine I was seizure free around 2 years when I got pregnant too. What hospital do you attend? Your first step should be to talk to your team. I attend Beaumont and the epilepsy nurses there are great. When you do become pregnant they will link you in with the epilepsy mid-wife who works between all of the maternity hospitals in Dublin (not sure about outside Dublin). They all offer great support during pregnancy and will recommend what consultant can help you the most.

During pregnancy I had regular blood tests to check the lamictal levels and dosages were upped a little during pregnancy (cover the hormone imbalances). I had more visits and scans than others, so you really are well taken care of. I was told that breastfeeding helps baby 'wean' from the lamictal so you might consider that too.

If you have any more questions please feel to PM me (at any stage!) happy to help. Best of luck with it all! Very exciting

StellaWu

Hi Zebrano,

really good to hear that. I have my first consultant appointment in the Coombe next week, and have only met the team in james's so far. I was worried about Breast feeding, but hearing that it helps to wean them off the medication is very reassuring!!

Were you put in contact with the epilepsy mid wife by Beaumont or by your Maternity hospital?

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and knowledge.

VickyPollard

I have epilepsy and take lamictal and I have had 2 perfectly normal pregnancies. My dose was increased on both pregnancies, which is quite common. After each pregnancy the dose was reduced again. Definitely get in touch with your neurological team. But lamictal is supposed to be one of the safest epilepsy medication to take during pregnancy.

Zebrano

StellaWu wrote: »

Hi Zebrano,

really good to hear that. I have my first consultant appointment in the Coombe next week, and have only met the team in james's so far. I was worried about Breast feeding, but hearing that it helps to wean them off the medication is very reassuring!!

Were you put in contact with the epilepsy mid wife by Beaumont or by your Maternity hospital?

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and knowledge.

Hiya, congrats on the pregnancy! Sorry to hear your auras have returned though, that must be tough for you. Beaumont passed on my details to the epilepsy mid-wife and she gave me a call. I met her a couple of times while I was in getting scans etc. She's absolutely lovely! Ask at your next apps (either the Coombe or James') to speak/meet with her. She can help with all the epilepsy related questions you might have about the pregnancy. She stays in contact after birth too. One of my triggers is lack of sleep, which is obviously a massive risk with a newborn, so it was important for the extra supervision to continue after baby arrived. Take it easy and rest whenever you get the chance!

StellaWu

Thanks for that! I will follow up on getting her contact details. One of my triggers is also lack of sleep, so would be greta o be able to have her follow up with me.

I was wondering, were you mid wife or consultant led care then?

Zebrano

StellaWu wrote: »

Thanks for that! I will follow up on getting her contact details. One of my triggers is also lack of sleep, so would be greta o be able to have her follow up with me.

I was wondering, were you mid wife or consultant led care then?

Hiya, I was consultant led. There are certain consultant obstetricians who specialise/have experience with managing neurological conditions during pregnancy so one of them would be good to link up with. I'm not sure if mid-wife led would have been an option for me, I always got the impression that it was a given being consultant led. Maybe because it was my first pregnancy? Do whatever makes you feel comfortable:) Managing sleep is always difficult so it it a tough trigger to deal with. Hope you're feeling good today though xx

StellaWu

Thanks Zebrano! Had my first appointment with the consultant last Friday and also got the contact details for the mid wife you mentioned. Great to hear from someone who has been there, between that and the appointments feeling much for confident, so thank you! xx